John Adams
Position: Federalist

State Representation

John Adams represented the state of Massachusetts. He was elected to the Massachusetts Assembly in 1770. Massachusetts during this time period focused mainly on fishing and making a profit off of the sea.The ground in this area was too rocky to grow any crops so they had to resort to other means of making money. Located along the eastern coast of the America their ports were lively with fishermen, people importing/exporting goods, and even whalers. Massachusetts for a long time had been very strong religiously. It was originally colonized by the Puritans. The wealthy were the superior of the population.

Occupation and Background

John Adams was born October 30, 1795 in Braintree Massachusetts. he attended Harvard University and graduated at the age of 20 with a degree in Law. With this, he attempted to open his own practice and succeeded. Adams was on the First and Second Continental Congress. He also helped draft and sign the the Declaration of Independence. John Adams was sent to negotiate the Treaty of Paris and later became a diplomat to France. He married Abigail Smith in 1764 and had 5 children. John Adams died on July 4, 1836.

Constitutional Convention

John Adams was invited to the Constitutional Convention but could not make it. He was representing th country in London at the time the Constitution was written and ratified. At this time he had been in London for a couple years. He came home in 1788 to claim a spot in the newly organized government system.

State Ratification

John Adams was not a part of this process either because he was out of the country. If he was in America at the time he most likely would have voted for the Constitution to be ratified considering he was a Federalist and a Founding Father.

Constitution Arguments

Since Adams couldn't have direct say in the drafting and ratification process of the Constitution he published papers in Great Britain, where he was representing the united states. He would have rallied for the breaking apart of the branches of government and a sort of checks and balances so that one branch doesn't became more powerful over the others. He also would have said that a head of executive would be needed so that the ideas of the people could be heard and the head would make a final decision. John Adams published papers in Great Britain about how a democracy is better than a monarchy. Adams allies were Federalists who had the same beliefs has him. His biggest enemy is Thomas Jefferson. He would be opposing the Anti-Federalists (those who didn't want the Constitution to be ratified).


"John Adams." John Adams. Independence Hall Association,, n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2012. <http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/adams_j.htm>.

"Miller Center." American President: John Adams: Life Before the Presidency. University of Virginia, n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2012. <http://millercenter.org/president/adams/essays/biography/2>.

"America's Founding Fathers - Delegates to the Constitutional Convention." America's Founding Fathers - Delegates to the Constitutional Convention. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2012. <http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_founding_fathers.html>.

Adams, John. Discourses on Davila; a Series of Papers on Political History. New York: Da Capo, 1973. Google. Web. 13 Sept. 2012. <[[http://books.google.com/books?id=9fASAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false>.|http://books.google.com/books?id=9fASAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false>.]]


"John Adams." John Adams. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2012. http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Adams__John.html.